NineSigma, representing Multi-Billion Dollar Consumer Products Company, invites proposals for materials and process technologies to deposit a liner on the inside of brass faucet spouts.

Successful liner technologies will meet the following criteria:

° Deposits a liner on the inside surface of the brass water channels of faucet spouts
° Can accommodate various water channel diameters ranging frorn 1/8" to 2", which may not be uniform in cross section
° Non-leaded and safe for contact with drinking water; rnust meet NSF-61
° Will deposit a liner that lasts for 20-25 years of consumer usage
° Suitable for water flow rates of 2.2 gal/min (max.) at pressures of 115 psi (max.)
° Can withstand being in constant contact with chlorinated tap water, both hot and cold
° Liner does not need to bond to brass or handle pressure loads (i.e. liner is nonstructural)
° Must be econornical and suitable for high volume production
° Liners are the preferred solution, but other compelling soIutions wiIII be considered

Note: NineSigma's client seeks both liner materials and processes to deposit liners inside brass spouts

NineSigma's client is a worldwide leader in manufacturing consumer products and innovative plumbing fixtures for kitchens and bathrooms. Recent legislation has reduced the maximum allowable lead content used in materials that contact drinking water, such as brass. The materials used in potable drinking water systems are also currently regulated by a material toxicity standard called NSF-61. Both the recent lead reduction Iegislation and NSF-61 apply to the brass used in the products   manufactured by NineSigma's client. Thus, Iiner materials and deposition processes are sought to manufacture faucets that meet the appropriate standards.

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Achieved

Faucet Spout Liner Produced by Tube Reforming

I am a faculty memberwith a technology that should provide a solution, but requires further research and development to ready it for transfer to commercial use.

Proposed Technical Approach

To my mind the most effective and economical way of liners production for big variety of spouts is a ready made tubes reforming, unique or novel feature of method proposed is an utilization of spout itself as a mould.

To check this idea in practice I took a ready made (of PVC destined for drinking/potable water, almost any thermoplastic can be used) tube of suitable diameter for a spout available (price - less then $0.15 per liner presented on the following photos).

It took about 10 minutes to reform the tube with appliances available at home, after that it was taken off the spout for photographing. The first photo shows detailed view of parts with changing cross-section. Centimeter rule can be seen as background, inscription underlined by green  means in Russian “PVC destined for drinking/potable”.

The second photo represents general views of liner received along with its “spout-moulder”.

Proposed Plan and Deliverables

Of course, the process can be intesified with the use of equipment specialized and automated. Devices needed: 2-3 temperature (10-250C degrees) and 2-3 pressure sensors (1-3Atm); voltage source (100-200V, 5-10A), air pump (1-3Atm) and 2-3 air valves controlled by programmable processor unit or computer interface. I developed this concept ad hoc, so let us consider it as a trade secret or IP not yet filed, I hope it can be patented, although I did no patent/literature search in this field. Any further discussion of deliverables can reveal this to some extent evident secret.

Proposed Budget

I believe that said equipment can cost less then 10 thousand dollars for productivity about 1liner per minute with one operator and it can be developed due to timeline and financials declaired.

Although I work in NTU “KhPI”, in this proposal I act as a private person.

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